Report: Tottenham close in on £5.2m deal for Nicolas N'Koulou

Tottenham are expected to finalise the signing of Nicolas N’Koulou in the coming days, Calciomercato reports.

N’Koulou, current playing for Marseille in France’s Ligue 1, is out of contract at the end of this season, with no desire to extend his deal.

The report claims that this has led Marseille to sanction his departure this month, with a transfer to Spurs lined up.

It is stated that the fee will be roughly £5.2 million (€7m), and the deal is to be finalised in the coming days.

Lazio are also stated in the report as being interested in the Cameroonian international, but Tottenham look to have won the race for his signature.

N’Koulou, 25, is a central defender who has spent his entire professional career in France. He started his career with Monaco, and linked up with Marseille where he remains to this day.

He has already won 68 caps for the Cameroonian national side, and is well regarded for his reading of the game in the defensive third.

Also able to play in defensive midfield, N’Koulou is likely arriving at White Hart Lane as a replacement for Federico Fazio, with ABC reporting that Sevilla are hoping to bring the Argentinian centre-half back to La Liga this month.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.